Ecce, Davus!
by koishii-girl
Summary: Based on the Ecce Romani Textbooks! This is the story of Davus's life from his early days as a slave still dreaming of freedom, through love and the various dramas of the farm, finishing with his final appointment as the farm's Overseer. Rated T for hints of violence and sexuality. No Latin necessary!
1. Arrival, Part 1

**Disclaimer** - Ecce Romani isn't mine. If it were, it would be less about the Cornelii and more about Davus, of course!

* * *

I tried to keep this as historically accurate as possible, but I did have to take liberties in some places. Historical notes are at the end, to provide some explanations and whatnot. Enjoy!

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**_..._**

**_Part I - Arrival_**

**...**

The wheels of the cart bumped over the semi-flattened stones sticking up from the road leading to the villa. Davus sat in the back of it, looking out at the fields which passed by slowly. "If I see one more field, I'll go mad," he grumbled.

The Greek man who sat next to him smiled. "You'll go mad then; this type of place is nothing but fields and the odd villa."

Davus replied with a grunt, and stared out across yet another field at the red roof of the villa at the end of it. Although it was past midday, the day was hotter than the hottest day of the year back in Britain; sweat rolled down Davus's back and he felt his skin prickle like it had done many summers before when he and his sister had played naked outdoors. He had been a free Briton then; now, he was a slave in Italy, newly owned by a short, olive-skinned aristocrat named Titus Cornelius.

Davus would have been happy to sit in silence for the ride, but the Greek man kept talking to him, asking him questions about his name, his age, his birthplace, and his education.

Despite Davus's curt answers, the Greek wouldn't give up. "Ah, so you're from the wild parts of Britain then. A true Celt," he said, beaming as if this information were a valuable treasure that had been bestowed on him. "Personally, I'm from Rhodes. My name is Eucleides. I'm a teacher… Or, I was a teacher before I was taken. Not that I mind much; the merchant told me I will probably become a tutor for a wealthy family. Eh, I was never much of a worker or fighter anyway."

Davus glanced at Eucleides's untoned arms and gesturing hands. "You can say that again," he muttered.

Eucleides chattered on and Davus did his best to ignore him.

Eventually, the cart clattered up the path to a large, yellow villa. It stopped in front of it, where a few chickens scrambled away from it squawking. David's new owner, Titus Cornelius, dismounted from the front of the cart. The aging bald man who had been driving the cart got down too. He ushered down Davus, Eucleides, and the seven Thracian slaves that had been bought too, and made them stand in a line in front of the villa's outside wall.

He began to inspect the slaves, carefully feeling their muscles, looking at their teeth, and asking them about their skills. The Thracians were all able-bodied and good farmers; Davus had been trained as a warrior, but he had often grown food for his family back in Britain. The man inspecting him laughed hearing this, and told Davus that if he could grow anything up there in the North, he would find farming here in the fertile South child's play.

As the man moved on to interrogate Eucleides, a young woman slipped out of the main entrance and came to stand next to Titus Cornelius. Davus couldn't help but look at her; she was small, graceful, and delicate, with large, dark eyes, tiny feet, and plump, curved lips. Her tunic and stola hid her body for the most part, but he could tell from his previous experience with women that despite her smallness, she had an hourglass figure and perfectly formed breasts. She, like most Roman women, was strange to him; the fine ladies of Rome were the opposite of the thick-boned, physically powerful women Davus was used to seeing in Britain. Yet, while he preferred the women of his native land, Davus couldn't help but think that this fragile creature was, in her own way, beautiful. For one heart-stopping second, her gaze met his. Then, as he stood there shocked, she smiled and looked away, entwining her little fingers with Gaius Cornelius's for a second before turning and going back into the villa. Davus exhaled slowly. So, this lady was his master's wife, then.

His thoughts were interrupted by the investigating man finishing with Eucleides, turning to Cornelius, and announcing, "Sir, they are all in fine health. These can go straight out to the fields." He signaled to the Thracians, before turning to Davus. "This one is inexperienced, but he is strong and intelligent. You could keep him for the house or send him to the fields as you desire." Lastly, he turned to Eucleides, and said, "This one is, of course, a scholar. He seems well equipped to teach young masters Titus and Gaius, but you'll have to investigate further, Sir."

Titus Cornelius nodded approvingly. "Thank you, Acacius. Get someone to find tunics for those seven and take them to the fields." As Acacius set off with the Thracians in tow, Titus Cornelius turned to Davus and Eucleides. He considered them for a few minutes before pointing at Davus. "You. How well can you read? How good is your Latin?"

Davus looked straight at him, unintimidated. "I can read well enough, and my Latin is sufficient for taking orders in the field," he said.

Titus shook his head. "You are too modest. Your Latin is quite good. In any case, you weren't cheap. I'm not wasting you in the fields all day." He tapped the fingers of his left hand against his chin in thought. "Acacius, my overseer, has been looking for younger men to train as his successors, and he seems to have taken a shine to you," he said. "Stay here in the courtyard. When Acacius comes back, tell him that I said to show you around the villa and farm before setting you to work." Being done with Davus, he turned to Eucleides. "As for you, follow me." He set off into the house.

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**NOTES:**

* To give you an idea of how much Davus and Eucleides cost, I worked out a simple dollar to sestersius conversion rate. I used the price of bread as a base. What I got was that there should be about five sestersii to the dollar. So, Davus, who cost 5,000 sestersii is worth about $1,000, and Eucleides, who cost 30,000 sestersii is worth about $6,000.I couldn't find any well-sourced information on what happens when a new slave arrives at his master's place, so I had to use my imagination a little.

* Acacius is unnamed in Ecce Romani, and is only referred to once or twice as Titus's _vilicus_. Not that Ecce Romani even says a lot about Titus, as the story there is really about Gaius's family.

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**Keep reading for Part 2 of Chapter 1. Please let me know how you think things are going so far! Concrit is love.**

**Also, if you review this for me, I'll gladly review anything of yours in return. Because I love my readers more than Aurelia loves dormice! (Ecce Romani II anyone? No?)**


	2. Arrival, Part 2

**Disclaimer** - Ecce Romani isn't mine. If it were, it would be less about the Cornelii and more about Davus, of course!

* * *

I tried to keep this as historically accurate as possible, but I did have to take liberties in some places. Historical notes are at the end, to provide some explanations and whatnot. Enjoy!

* * *

...

Eucleides gave Davus a little thump on the back. "See you," he said, and left.

Davus found himself alone with the chickens in front of the villa. He stood there for a little while before curiosity got the better of him. He quietly opened the door into the villa, where he began looking through doorways into the family's main living areas and shocking some of the slave-girls there with his lack of clothes. After a few minutes, he wandered past a wall into a little garden-like space. He peered into the pool at the center of it, wondering what its purpose was. It seemed to be purely decorative.

Davus had just begun to inspect a statue nearby when he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. "What are you doing?" hissed Acacius. "You could get into big trouble for walking around like that. Just who do you think you are? I'll let you off this time since you're new, but don't let me ever catch you lazing around again!" He pulled Davus away from the statue. "Right, since you're still here, I imagine you've got a message for me from Master Titus. Tell me what he told you." As Davus repeated Titus's words, Acacius frowned. "You're not what I had in mind at all. I told Titus I wanted a Greek lad for the job."

Davus felt insulted. "I'm as good as any Greek. Try me," he said.

The old man and the young man stood in silence for a moment, as if defying each other. Then Acacius smiled and shook his head. "Well, you're a tough one. Alright, why not?"

Davus spent the next hour getting acquainted with the inside of the villa. He was first shown to the slaves' quarters, which consisted of five rooms, each intended to house a large number of slaves. Here, Acacius handed Davus a worn-looking tunic. As soon as Davus was dressed, Acacius led him to the other parts of the villa. "The family lives in this area here," said Acacius, pointing to the group of beautiful rooms to one side of the complex. "It contains their bedrooms, their dining room, and Master Titus's study. The kitchen is the large corner room there." He pointed to the room where Davus had come across the slave girls before leading him towards the back of the villa. "Over here are the pressing rooms and the yard where we make olive oil and wine. The barn and the threshing floor are that way as well. Can you remember where everything is?"

"Yes," answered Davus, although he wasn't sure he could.

"Good," said Acacius. "Now, follow me and do as I say. Tomorrow, you will work in the garden, since you seem to like it so much there."

Davus spent the rest of the day running errands for Acacius and working with the slaves in the olive-press. "If you're going to learn my job, you have to be able to do every job on the farm and in the villa first," Acacius told him. Davus nodded and tried to get to work, but he found that Acacius was impossible to satisfy. Every time Davus stopped working to wipe his forehead or massage his aching arms, Acacius would treat him to a wallop with a big sick and a cry of "Get back to work!" Davus was amazed at how the even the weak-looking slaves could work on the press for hours at a time, and chat to each other about the weather while they did it. He had never been so tired in his life.

After a few hours, Acacius sent him off with a message for Titus. Thankful to get out of the olive-press, Davus rushed off to find his master. He peered into several of the family's rooms looking for him. In one room, he found Eucleides sitting with two boys in identical purple-striped tunics. Eucleides waved at him cheerily. Davus lifted a hand in reply before quickly moving on.

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**NOTES**:

I think in real life, a slave probably wouldn't be marked as a future overseer as openly as Davus is in my story. If he were a good, obedient worker whom the master approved of, he would probably be appointed as overseer when the previous one found himself incapable of doing his work any longer. Still, I needed to mark Davus out as different somehow.

* * *

**Read on for Part 3 of Chapter 1! Please let me know how you think things are going so far! Concrit is love.**

**Also, if you review this for me, I'll gladly review anything of yours in return. Because I love my readers more than Cornelia loves Flavia. Which is a lot, in my not-so-humble opinion. *giggle***


	3. Arrival, Part 3

**Disclaimer** - Ecce Romani isn't mine. If it were, it would be less about the Cornelii and more about Davus, of course!

* * *

I tried to keep this as historically accurate as possible, but I did have to take liberties in some places. Historical notes are at the end, to provide some explanations and whatnot. Enjoy!

* * *

…

At sunset, the slaves from the field returned and those who had worked on the presses could stop their work. Most of them filed into the slaves' quarters, where they joked and talked about their day's work. Davus found himself sitting with a group of young men he had been pressing olives with; they were playing a little game that involved pulling sticks out of the bottom of a pile without knocking down the rest. Davus lost early on. He sat watching them play, nursing a bowl of porridge a kitchen-girl had handed him.

As he sat there watching the game, someone drew up by his side. Davus took a sideways glance at the person; it was Eucleides. "Can I play?" Eucleides asked the men. The players obligingly made room for him.

Several minutes later, Eucleides was winning heavily, having extracted seven sticks without causing a single wobble in the pile. "How did you do that?" asked Davus, incredulous.

"It's not hard if you have a critical eye," answered Eucleides. "You just have to look at things differently. Want me to teach you?"

Davus didn't reply because at that moment, Acacius entered the room, stick in hand. All the activity ceased, as the slaves waited for him to speak. Acacius raised his voice. "Right. To bed now, the lot of you!"

The sticks were cleared away for another night; straw pallets and coarse sheets were pulled off a pile in the corner, and tunics were pulled off tired bodies. A few short minutes after Acacius had presented his order, the room was silent except for the noise of about a hundred slaves breathing.

Davus lay on his pallet, itching all over from the rough straw. As he tried to sleep, he heard a few rustling noises, the patter of footsteps, and then a few quiet giggles that dissolved into tiny moans of pleasure. Some people were making love there, in the room. An image of the Roman woman, Titus Cornelius's wife, appeared in his head. In the dark, he bit his lip hard and tried not to think about her.

From the pallet next to him, a voice whispered, "Hey, Davus?" It was Eucleides again.

"Yes?"

"Did you have a wife back in Britain?"

Davus considered not answering, but he did. "No," he said. "I was too busy."

"A girlfriend or a lover, then?" pressed Eucleides.

"There was a woman who I fucked sometimes." said Davus. "What's it to you anyway?"

"Just wondering," said Eucleides. He paused. "I miss my sweetheart," he said, very quietly.

Davus didn't know what to say to this. "I'm sorry," he said. The awkwardness he felt showed in his voice. Hearing it, Eucleides gave a low chuckle.

"Goodnight," he said.

"G'night," mumbled Davus. He lay awake for a while longer wondering why Eucleides was so curious about him. Eventually, he began to feel tired. Deciding that the Greek was probably just curious because Davus was the first Briton he had ever met, Davus set aside the matter and fell asleep.

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**NOTES**:

Yes, they're playing pick-up sticks. No, I don't know if people back then really played that. Still, it's one of the most simple, idiot-proof games I could think of, and the slaves would be able to play it as it wouldn't require any fancy implements. Just a pile of sticks.

I couldn't find much information on what Romans' slaves slept on, but I can't imagine a supposedly kind master like Titus would make them sleep on the bare floor.

And I just realized that there is some crazy unintentional subtext going on between Davus and Eucleides. Just so you know, this story isn't going to be slash. If you want your slash fix, please check out my story "Night-time Experiences". It's centered around Davus and Eucleides, and it's M-rated! Oooooh!

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**Chapter 2 will be begin in a few days time! Please let me know how you think things are going so far! Concrit is love.**

**Also, if you review this for me, I'll gladly review anything of yours in return. Because I love my readers more than Eucleides loves books. Yes, that much.**


	4. Education, Part 1

**Disclaimer** - Ecce Romani isn't mine. If it were, it would be less about the Cornelii and more about Davus, of course!

* * *

I tried to keep this as historically accurate as possible, but I did have to take liberties in some places. Historical notes are at the end, to provide some explanations and whatnot. Enjoy!

* * *

**...**

_**Chapter 2 - Education**_

**...**

The afternoon sun beat down on Davus's neck. As his strong left hand was busy holding the big stick Acacius had passed him, he reached up with his right hand to rub at it with his right hand. He winced at the pain and groaned. Yet again, he was sunburned.

He looked up then, across the field where many slaves were sowing wheat. He smiled to himself. It felt good to be in charge of something again, even if only for a short while. Acacius had called him from the field and left him watching the workers there; Davus suspected he had gone to take a nap.

As he stood there, Davus closed his eyes and reminisced about his home back in cool, cloudy Britain. If he were still there, he would probably be in a similar position: watching over a few slaves working in his family's field. The image upset him a bit; he hated to think about the slaves in Britain. His own family had only owned three at the time of his capture: a cook, a maid, and a boy who helped Davus in his small field. Davus had not been kind to them, and they had often complained to his sister of his harshness. At the time he hadn't cared, but after the year and two months he had spent with the Cornelius family in the villa, Davus had learned what it was like to be a slave and had come to regret his past actions.

He had learned much there in the villa. He could now operate the olive and grape presses just as well as any other slave, and his broad, muscled shoulders meant that he always had found carrying water and other heavy items quite easy. He had quickly become accustomed to driving a Roman-style cart, but he didn't enjoy it much. He hated working in the field due to the terrible Italian sun. His favorite job by far was to work in the garden, where there was shade and the air was cool. That, and the rare moments Acacius left him in charge of the other slaves. Nothing of interest ever seemed to happen when Davus was in charge, but at least he got a break from his usual work.

Davus's reminiscing was interrupted all of a sudden by the arrival of a little slave boy. The child sprinted up calling out for Acacius. He would have run right past him, had not Davus managed to catch hold of the back of his ratty tunic. "Hold up, there," he said, as the boy struggled to get free. "Acacius isn't around right now, so tell me what you want."

He released the boy, who stood panting lightly before answering, "There's a problem in the house. Mistress Iulia can't find Young Master Titus anywhere, and it's time for him to study. She wants Uncle Acacius to search the forest."

Davus felt his breath quicken. The adrenaline rose in his body, making him feel a little light-headed. He knew that he should wait for Acacius, but he couldn't resist the chance to lead a search himself. Besides, that lazy teenage boy often went missing and was usually easy to find. With luck, Davus might be able to retrieve him before Acacius came back. He smiled at the boy and said, "Alright. Go back to Mistress Iulia and tell her that Acacius can't come, but I will be there soon."

The boy nodded and ran back towards the villa. Davus didn't wait to watch him go. He instantly called over the ten men closest to him. One of them was an elderly Gaul who had been very kind to Davus during his early days at the farm; Davus left him watching over the slaves, and set off towards the villa with the other nine.

When they got to the villa, they found it in a state of turmoil. Slave girls were running about, searching every nook and cranny as Iulia, with the ten-year old younger boy and Eucleides at her side, stood calling out orders to them in her high, bell-like voice. Titus Cornelius had gone to visit his sister, who lived a few miles away and was very ill, so Iulia was left in charge of the household.

Davus led his men over to her. She stopped shouting and turned towards Davus, crossing her arms and frowning slightly. "Slave, where is your overseer? I asked for him specifically," she said.

Davus bowed and lied, "Mistress, Acacius is feeling sick today. He's old anyway; he said that we younger slaves would be able to find Young Master Titus more easily because we can see better than he can."

As he gave her his explanation, he cringed inside. He was sure she wouldn't believe it. So, he was quite surprised when she nodded and granted him the tiniest of smiles. "Very well," she said. She turned to her younger son. "Gaius, you go with them and help them look for your brother. Show them where he hid last time."

The boy nodded. Davus could tell that he was trying not to laugh. He was probably happy to be missing lessons in order to run about the forest. Iulia, though, was too clearly concerned to notice this. She gave the boy a little push towards the group of slaves and returned to her admonishing of the busy girl-slaves.

Davus, his nine men, Gaius, and Eucleides, who had followed Gaius to the band of slaves, walked towards the entrance of the villa. As Davus held half of the heavy doors open for his men, he threw one last look over to where Iulia stood. Early in his life at the villa, he had been shocked at how young she looked despite apparently having a sixteen year-old son; it was only recently that he had learned from the gossipy Eucleides that she was, in fact, Titus Cornelius's second wife, and not the mother of his sons at all. Indeed, she was closer to Young Master Titus's age than to her husband's.

The small band walked through a field towards the forest. The men were chatting together, happy to not be working. Davus let them talk, instead keeping an eye on Gaius. One of the family's boys had already gone missing; Davus certainly wasn't going to let this one get away too.

They reached the forest. Davus split his men up into groups of three and told them to search the whole forest before heading back to the villa. Then he, Gaius, and Eucleides began their search.

* * *

**NOTES**

* I think in real life, a slave probably wouldn't be marked as a future overseer as openly as Davus is in my story. If he were a good, obedient worker whom the master approved of, he would probably be appointed as overseer when the previous one found himself incapable of doing his work any longer. Still, I needed to mark Davus out as different somehow.

* Although Davus is shown in a position of authority in this chapter, most of the time he would work like any of the other slaves. More than really being trained as an overseer, he's marked out as a potential candidate for the job. So, he works as hard as he can and tries to stay on the current overseer's good side. Davus doesn't exactly succeed at the second, because he can be a bit willful.

* In Rome, wives often managed the matters of the domestic house and husbands managed everything else. If the father were to be absent for a short while, the mother would do her best with the help of a skilled slave or two.

* For my Ecce Romani homies, young Titus is Uncle Titus. Gaius is, of course, Marcus and Cornelia's daddy.

* Don't be shocked at the family's apparent rudeness to Davus. He's a slave, so he is treated like one.

* * *

**Keep reading for Part 2 of Chapter 2. Please let me know how you think things are going so far! Concrit is love.**

**Also, if you review this for me, I'll gladly review anything of yours in return. Because I love my readers more than Aurelia loves dormice! **


	5. Education, Part 2

**Disclaimer** - Ecce Romani isn't mine. If it were, it would be less about the Cornelii and more about Davus, of course!

* * *

I tried to keep this as historically accurate as possible, but I did have to take liberties in some places. Historical notes are at the end, to provide some explanations and whatnot. Enjoy!

* * *

...

An hour found the three quite deep in the forest, near a river. Gaius had led them there, saying that Titus liked to swim. Davus had been doubtful of the boy's directions; he was sure that Gaius had led them astray to keep away from lessons for as long as possible. In addition, he found it hard to search with Eucleides there. The Greek didn't seem to care about the search at all; he just followed Davus, talking and stopping every few minutes to poke at the plants in the forest around them. "This place is fascinating; I must bring Gaius and Titus out here for a botany lesson sometime!" he said many times.

"Of course you will," Davus would reply. "If we ever find the damn kid."

The three waded across the river and continued their search. The forest was rather small, so they soon burst through the trees into the field on the other side. They stood there confused, discussing where Titus might be hiding. Even Gaius was beginning to look worried. "I thought we would've found him by now!" he said, chewing his fingernails and fidgeting.

Eucleides patted the boy's shoulder consolingly. He looked up at Davus and said, "Well, it's no use standing out here. Shall we have another look through the forest on our way back to the villa?"

Davus nodded. "And if we still can't find him, then we'll look in the fields," he said. "Let's go."

The sun was getting low in the sky as they retraced their path back through the forest. Davus was on his guard. He knew that the forest's animals were active at that time; he could hear the trees and the bushes rustling, and every now and then he would hear some creature's grunt or hoot echo from between the long shadows of the trees. Somewhere, a wolf howled. Davus's fist clenched around his stick and he bade Gaius and Eucleides to stay as close to him as possible.

They had just crossed the river again when they heard a loud cry from nearby. Gaius had been staring at the ground; now, his head shot up with shock. "Brother!" he gasped.

He took off at a run in the direction from where the cry came. Davus ran after him and grabbed the back of his tunic. "Don't run off like that," he cautioned."Your brother could be in danger."

Gaius glared at him. "Let go of me, slave!" he shouted. "I'll tell Father!"

Davus released him quickly. "Follow behind. Don't let the Young Master run ahead," he said to Eucleides. Then, he strode off towards where he thought Titus must be.

Soon, Davus stepped into a clearing. Sure enough, there was Titus. Despite his plumpness and underdeveloped muscles, the teenage boy had managed to pull himself halfway up a tree, his arms clasped around it in a tight hug. Davus looked around the clearing, wondering what had scared him. From a little over his head, Titus cried, "Is it gone?"

"What did you see?" shouted Davus.

"I was taking a nap when I felt something tickling me," said Titus. He seemed to be crying. "I woke up, and there was a wolf sniffing my face! Is it still around?"

"No," said Davus, shooting a glance around the clearing. "Come down."

Titus tried to let himself down carefully, but he lost his footing and landed on his backside. As Gaius laughed, Eucleides pulled Titus upright and began to scold him. "Master Titus! Why must you run off like this? You've worried Mistress Iulia sick."

"I don't care. She's not my mother," said Titus, sulky.

"She's your father's wife, and she cares about you," said Eucleides. "It's very wrong of you to do this to her. Besides, what about your lessons?"

Eucleides scolded Titus almost the whole way back to the villa. By the time they reached it, Davus was sorely tempted to give Eucleides a big thwack over the head with his stick. Instead, he walked ahead of them as quickly as he could. Gaius, despite his newfound dislike of Davus, jogged next to him just out of arm-reach. Davus told the nine slaves, who were waiting by the main gate, to go back to the field. He let Eucleides, Gaius, and Titus in through the door to the villa and was about to go back to the field himself when he felt Eucleides's hand on his arm. "Davus, come in and see Mistress Iulia. I'm sure she'll want to thank you," he said.

The thought of seeing Iulia curved Davus's lips into a small smile. He followed Eucleides and the boys to the family's living quarters. Iulia was sitting in the dining room; she rose to her feet when they entered. She stared coldly at Titus for a moment before saying, "I have no words for you, but I'm sure your father has more than enough for both of us." Then she looked up at Eucleides, saying, "Take him to his father's study."

Eucleides bowed his head and ushered Titus out. Gaius quietly left after them. Davus was left alone with Iulia in the dining room. Suddenly, he felt very conscious of himself. He didn't know what to do with his hands, so he clasped them in front of himself. He wondered whether he was supposed to leave or not. His question was answered quickly when Iulia sat down again, facing Davus. While she still looked a little upset, she now smiled at Davus. "Thank you for finding him," she said. "Tell me where he was, please."

Davus told her then. As he spoke, she nodded in encouragement. When he told her of how Titus fell out of the tree, she lifted a hand to her face and giggled. When he finished telling her, she stood up again."You've done well," she said.

She walked up in front of him and looked up at his face. Davus was not sure whether he should look at her or not. He swallowed the lump in his throat and continued to stare ahead, like a soldier before his general. "What's your name, slave?" she asked.

"Davus," he answered. As he answered, he looked her in the eyes.

She seemed surprised for a moment, and looked away quickly. "I will remember your name and face. My husband will know what you have done for us as soon as he comes home from his sister's house," she said. "Seeing as it's dark already outside, go to your quarters."

Davus bowed and turned to go.

"Wait a minute!" she said. He turned towards her again. "Shortly after you left to search for Titus, your overseer came running here in a horrible state. He seemed worried that you had given me the wrong message or not followed his instructions. You should set things straight with him."

He thanked her and left. He walked back to the slaves' quarters almost as if he were walking in a dream. Iulia knew his name now. He knew it was wrong to desire his master's wife, but damn it! She was so beautiful. He wondered for a second if she might desire him too. Davus had only seen his reflection once since he had come to work in Rome, but he knew that he was tall and strong. From childhood conversations with his sister, he knew his eyes were blue and his hair was the color of wheat. Still, he was unsure whether these things would make him attractive to a Roman woman, especially such a beauty as Iulia.

* * *

**NOTES**

* In Rome, wives often managed the matters of the domestic house and husbands managed everything else. If the father were to be absent for a short while, the mother would do her best with the help of a skilled slave or two.

* Don't be shocked at the family's apparent rudeness to Davus. He's a slave, so he is treated like one.

* Gaius doesn't seem too fond of Davus in Ecce Romani. I'm not saying that this incident is the main reason, though.

* In the ancient times, for a person to have actually seen their full reflection clearly would have been rare. Mirrors, especially those rare ones long enough to see one's full body, were made of shined bronze and were expensive, and ponds aren't as reflective as the story of Narcissus might lead you to think.

* * *

**Read on for Part 3 of Chapter 2! Please let me know how you think things are going so far! Concrit is love.**

**Also, if you review this for me, I'll gladly review anything of yours in return. Because I love my readers more than Cornelia loves Flavia. Which is a lot, in my not-so-humble opinion. (Check out my other story "Three Times for Kissing" to find out more about them.)**


	6. Education, Part 3

**Disclaimer** - Ecce Romani isn't mine. If it were, it would be less about the Cornelii and more about Davus, of course!

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I tried to keep this as historically accurate as possible, but I did have to take liberties in some places. Historical notes are at the end, to provide some explanations and whatnot. Enjoy!

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**...**

As Davus approached the slaves' quarters, he thought that the night was unusually quiet. Usually the quarters were loud and rowdy. When he entered, all the slaves turned their heads towards him, fixing him in a stare. He stood unnerved for a second, wondering what had happened and why his fellow slaves were sitting so quietly. The young men he usually sat with were not playing their game with the sticks. Eucleides and one of the young men shifted enough to make space for him, and he sat down. Just as he was about to whisper a question to them, a shadow fell across his back. He looked over his shoulder straight at a pair of hairy legs that vanished into a slightly discolored tunic, which was topped by the frowning, reddened face of Acacius. "Hello," he said weakly.

Acacius pulled him upright by the neck of his tunic and dragged him outside the quarters. He was in the worst mood Davus had ever seen him. "Why the hell didn't you call me? You know where I go when I leave you in charge!" he whispered angrily, shaking Davus. "Are you trying to steal my job early, you bastard?"

Davus tried to explain himself, "No, of course not! I just didn't want to bother you-"

Acacius slapped him hard across the face. Davus fell sideways onto the ground. As he sat up rubbing at his cheek and clutching his side, Acacius continued. "The reason doesn't matter really. What matters here is your insubordination! Don't you understand by now? As an overseer, I have an image to keep up. Even if I grant you temporary responsibility, you can't go and do whatever you want. You've got to answer to me. If you don't, others may get the idea that they don't have to listen to me either, and then what will become of the farm?" He pulled Davus up again, not as harshly this time. "Listen to me, boy: you'll get your turn in time and then you'll truly understand what I'm saying. I don't like my job, but I have to do it. So do you, and so does everyone else. Maybe you were a free man a little while ago, but now you're a slave. Try to get that through your head. "

Davus nodded, ashamed and angry both at himself and the overseer. He knew Acacius was right. Still, his pride wouldn't let Acacius's own faults pass. "Sure, I'll do that," he growled. "When you stop napping during work hours."

At that, Acacius turned bright red and released him. "Right," he said, his voice quiet and deadly. "I was going to thank you for covering for me, but that's just too much." He called two other slaves from the quarters, and they all marched to one of the rooms filled with olive-presses. There, Acacius told Davus to take off his tunic and place his hands on the wall. "I'm not going to tie you," he said to Davus, "because you're too proud to run. Kneel there and keep your hands on the wall." To the two slaves he gave switches, saying, "Stop at the first sight of blood."

The two reluctantly lifted the switches and struck him. A sharp, sudden pain rushed up Davus's back. Against his will, he gasped.

"Why're you being soft on him?" said Acacius to the two slaves. "Hit him harder, men. That way you'll get it over with faster."

When Davus was a boy, his father had often hit him with a springy stick and his mother had spanked him sometimes. As a teenager, he had had his fair share of fights with the local boys, and had fallen out of a tree and broken his arm once. Still, it had been a while since anyone had laid hands on him, and the pain of the switches was unlike any he had felt before. He tried to not cry out, instead squeezing his eyes shut and breathing ragged, labored breaths as the blows rained down. He had never felt so ashamed in his life.

After what felt like hours, but couldn't have been more than a couple of minutes, the blows ceased. "He's bleeding, sir," reported one of the slaves.

Davus felt Acacius's thick fingers touch his back. The pain of the touch sent a shiver up his spine. After an interminable moment, Acacius said, "It's only a speck, but I guess it will do. Go back to quarters, you two."

The two slaves left Davus and Acacius alone in the press room. Acacius spoke to Davus then. "Stand up and put on your tunic," he said. As Davus did, in silence, Acacius continued. "I hope you've learned you lesson now, boy. Keep your pride inside, but always follow orders. Be a good lad, and you'll make an overseer yet." Davus's head jerked up in surprise, and Acacius smiled. "No, I'm not giving up on you yet. You think I didn't take my fair share of blows when I was a young man? If you're as strong-willed as I was, I'll bet these won't be your last. I went easy on you anyway." He clapped Davus on the shoulder and led him back to the slave quarters.

When they arrived, the slaves, who had begun to talk and laugh, suddenly went quiet. Acacius looked around the room before saying, "Carry on with your ruckus," and going to join a circle of older men near the door of the room.

Davus rejoined his group; as he sat there, Eucleides asked him if he was alright.

"I'm fine," answered Davus.

Eucleides reached out and tapped the middle of his back. Davus couldn't stop his face from contorting quickly into a grimace.

"That's what I thought," answered Eucleides.

Davus merely grunted, embarrassed.

He had a very hard time going to sleep that night. He couldn't lie on his back or sides as it hurt too much, but sleeping on his stomach made it hard to breathe. Eventually he settled down into a strange curled position. He was about to fall asleep, when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

In the time Davus had been at the farm, he had learned that sex was something very casual amongst the slaves there. It had taken him a little while to get used to this attitude. Nevertheless, although he still couldn't bring himself to tiptoe to other slaves' pallets, he had eventually stopped turning away those who appeared by his. That night, though, was different. "Not tonight," he mumbled. "My back hurts."

Davus heard the person sigh. The hand squeezed his shoulder sympathetically before the figure left, probably to find a more willing partner.

Yet as he fell asleep, he couldn't stop his mind turning to Iulia. He wondered, was it insubordination to want to fuck to his master's wife? It probably was, but knowing that couldn't stop him desiring her. As he thought of her, his back hurt a little less. He smiled to himself. "She knows my name and face," he whispered.

"Hmm?" came the voice of an old man from the pallet next to him. "What was that?"

"Nothing," said Davus quickly. He closed his eyes and, after a long while, managed to fall asleep.

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**NOTES**

* If you were an overseer, having your master find out that you were skiving off to nap would bring horrible consequences. If Davus had told Iulia where Acacius actually was, Acacius would have been in big trouble. That's why Acacius is so scared at first, and also why Davus doesn't get punished too heavily for his insubordination. If Davus had been a more wily slave, if fact, Acacius may not have punished him at all so he wouldn't go tell. Then again, if Davus were a sneaky bastard, Acacius wouldn't be going to nap and leaving him in charge in the first place.

* The title of this chapter, in case you couldn't tell, comes from Titus's avoiding education, but also from Davus learning more about his position.

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**Chapter 3 will be begin in eventually. Please let me know how you think things are going so far! Concrit is love.**

**Also, if you review this for me, I'll gladly review anything of yours in return. Because I love my readers more than Eucleides loves books. Yes, that much.**


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